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Brazil 99 per cent FMD Free

BRAZIL – More than 205 million head of cattle – 99 per cent of the Brazilian national herd - have been declared free of foot and mouth disease by the agriculture minister, Antonio Andrade.

According to the ministry, the regions of Alagoas, Ceara, Maranhao, northern Para, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui and Rio Grande de Norte are free of the disease.

This represents the premier cattle regions. The Maranhao herd is over 7.4 million, the biggest in the country and Para, with 4.6 million cattle, has the largest buffalo herd of over 450,000.

However, official confirmation for the country as a whole is still required for approval on an international level from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which currently has the figure at 78 per cent FMD free.

This figure pertains to the Amapa, Roraima and Amazonian areas unable to eradicate the disease.

Authorities expect to receive certification from the OIE is expected by May 2014.

Minister Andrade said: “Helping these states is crucial for us to meet our goal of a 100 per cent Brazil FMD-free, certified by the OIE 2015."